Not ANOTHER Botan Story!
by GhostfaceScylla
Summary: Oh, but it is. What happens when Botan is being used against someone she deeply cares about as a friend? Or at least, she thought he was just a friend… Perhaps he’s more? KuramaBotan, R&R PLEASE!
1. Default Chapter

  
  
Hey all! This is one of those interesting things that I've just started working on in my spare time. I started thinking to myself…. Botan is soooo bubbly all the time….could it be disguising something else? Perhaps…. Well, Combatants de Liberte is still my main KB fic, but I thought I'd just type this one out and see how it fared. Ahem, and **there will be a change…. Kurama no longer has a little brother. Instead, he has a little sister who happens to be three. **

**Expect to be a little lost in chappie 1. I'll tie everything together in chappie 2. **that is, if you review…… otherwise, this turns into a one-shot!  
Reviews and flames alike are welcome!  
  


Author- Kawaii Lara-chan

Title- Not ANOTHER Botan Story!  
Rating- PG (expect to go up later)  
Summary- Oh, but it is. What happens when Botan is being used against someone she deeply cares about as a friend? Or at least, she thought he was just a friend… Perhaps he's more? KuramaBotan, R&R PLEASE!  
Disclaimer- Yu Yu Hakusho and all affiliated characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

  
  
The ramen shop was quiet as it had been for days and days. No bubbling laughter could be heard tinkling off of its walls, no shrieking and giggling noises of delight were uttered there anymore. Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama were all sitting in one of the worn leather booths and staring down at the lightly misting rain. It was around 2 o'clock on a Friday, the lunch crowd had died down and it was just the four of them. Some spring break. It had just started today, and already they were bored beyond belief.   


     Keiko drew her knees up in front of her and let out a sigh. "Hmmmm. Something's missing, you guys…" The other three boys continued staring off into space. "…Something's Missing……" No reaction. "I SAID SOMETHING'S MISSING!" 

  
"Oh! KEIKO, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Keiko's shouting made Yusuke jump out of his chair. "AND WILL YOU STOP YELLING!"  
  


"WHO'S YELLING?!" she snorted.  
  


For the next couple of minutes, Yusuke and Keiko continued screaming at each other while Kuwabara and Kurama took in the sights outside the window.  
  


"I can tell you what's missing." Kuwabara said finally, his voice disenchanted.  
  


"What?" Kurama had his face pressed against the palm of his hand and his mouth was turned down into a frown.  
  


"I'll give you a hint," Kuwabara went on. "What has blue hair, pink eyes, and flies? Botan. We're missing Botan." Kurama looked up at the mention of her name.  
  


"What, Botan? C'mon Kuwabara, every time she comes around here, it's always work, work, work for us and we never get a minutes re-"  
  


SMACK!  
  


A large red hand print shone on Yusuke's face and Keiko sat behind him scowling. "Gee Keiko, I hope that didn't hurt your HAND too much…" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And WHAT was THAT for?"  
  


"Did you forget that you were talking about my best friend? Or are you really that cold-hearted, Urameshi Yusuke? Sometimes, I cannot believe your lack of tact, you-"  
  


"Well, I'll be going now." Kurama stood up abruptly and made his way towards the door, his hands in his pockets.  
  


"Wait, Kurama! I'll come with ya!" Kuwabara jumped to follow him.  
  


"No." Kuwabara was taken aback. Kurama hadn't meant for his voice to come out so cold. "I am just going for a short walk. By myself." He tried to finish politely.  
  


"O…ok, Kurama. I guess we'll see you later then?" Keiko phrased it like a question, but she never received an answer. He was already gone by the time she finished.   
  
Kurama walked along the sidewalk for some time, his step scraping the pavement with a lack of enthusiasm uncharacteristic of him. Despite the softly falling rain, people were crowding the streets. The droplets were warm against Kurama's skin and could almost be classified as fog rather than rain. Shortly, he reached a park and took his place on one of the benches. A little girl ran around stomping puddles in her mackintosh and on the other side, two lovers held each other under a bright green umbrella that was almost the color of Kurama's eyes. The girl had her arms entwined around the smiling boy and her soft laugher could be heard all the way across the park. For some reason, the sight of the couple pained him. Who was he kidding, he knew why watching people in love made him feel this way. It was all because of…  
  


Botan.  
  


When Kuwabara had let her name roll off of his tongue, something had yanked hard at Kurama's heartstrings. It felt like a burning desire, and the image of her smiling face conjured right before his opened eyes, hovered for a minute, then disintegrated. He counted back on his fingers.  
  


"Four months." He breathed. Four months of quiet, no missions, no word from Koenma, four months of dead silence from the other realms. And yet, in those four months, Kurama had begun to feel a loneliness he had not experienced since he was Youko.  
  


There was no denying that he had more than just platonic feelings for the ferry girl, but he had kept himself distanced from her. He did not want his past becoming tangled in her hopeful future….   
  


But even though he kept himself aloof from even the possibility of romance, seeing Botan even once and awhile quelled his desires for the development of a relationship. Just looking at her was enough to make him happy for eternity.  
  


But now, four months had passed since he had heard her laughter, smelled her scent drift before his sensitive kitsune nose. And he needed to see her, to know that she was safe would put him at peace with the worlds.   
  


Until then, the sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach would gnaw at his innards.   
  


He reached his hand back to smooth his now semi-wet hair and pulled out a white rose that had been hidden deep within his blood red locks. Placing it between his hands, he twirled it in his fingers like a spindle. In the process, one of the thorns snagged his skin causing scarlet to flow from the gash. He didn't notice, though. He merely continued staring off into the distance, the rose collecting more and more water droplets with each passing second.   
  


"Botan." Under his breath he called her sweet name.   
  


"You of all people, Kurama! Talking about a girl behind her back! Secrets, secrets are no fun, you know…!" A giggle floated over the air from behind the park bench. Kurama jumped up to his feet and wheeled around in shock.  
  


"Botan!" A smile worked its way onto his refined features. She laughed again. It made him so happy, to hear that laugh… There she stood, right before his eyes in a pair of flared jeans and a green sweater that made the color of her hair pop.   
  


"You fend off evil Saint-Beasts and yet you can't even defend yourself against your own rose? Tsk, tsk…" She took his wounded hand in hers and held it up to the rain, let the water cleanse it. Then, with the pressure of her fingertips she tried to stop the bloodflow. "Silly… all pretty things have thorns…" Botan mused under her breath.

    "Even you?" Kurama chided. She did not answer and continued staring down at his hands. Kurama took in her delicate features; the wisps of blue hair falling out around her ponytail, her eyes turning a beautiful deep magenta as they reflected her surroundings. 

    "There!" She said as she released his hand. "I now pronounce you cured! See, Kurama, I _told_ you I had healing powers!."  
  


"So you do, Botan-San…" Kurama stared down at his wound.  
  


"Now, don't touch it, you hear me? You'll just cause it to start bleeding again…"  
  


"Yes, mother, I understand." Kurama chuckled, his charm radiating into the air around him.   
  


For a few seconds, a comfortable silence enveloped the two.  
  


"So, Botan…what are you doing here? Is everything all right?"   
  


"All right? Oh, you mean in the other realms… yes, of course… I, well, I…" She stumbled on her words, seeking to make them come out right. Finally, she just blurted them out. "It's time for my vacation…I get a four-day weekend once every century by Spirit World labor laws…and well, since I don't really know anyone else outside you and the gang… I came for a short visit… but suddenly, I'm feeling like a burden, so I guess…" She stood up, her cheeks tinted with a light blush. She had not anticipated that the Rekai Tantei members might not want to see her. "I guess I' better be going…" She looked around for her oar.   
  


"Wait, Botan-San, hold on a minute! I thought you said you had four days off."  
  


"I do, but I know I represent work to you all, and I don't wanna…"  
  


"You worry too much, Botan-San. Come with me, everyone else is down at Keiko's ramen shop."  
  


"Really?" Her eyes lit up like two dancing lanterns. "You all want me around?"   
  


"Why wouldn't I…I mean, we…" Kurama was already walking back towards the shop, "besides, it's wet and cold out here. You'll catch cold if you stay out here much longer. Come with me." He kept his face straight ahead so Botan couldn't see the smile on his face as he heard her squeal and run to catch up with him.

Well, what did you think? Liked it? Hated it? TELL ME! Reviews and flames alike are quite welcome! I have to get enough reviews to continue on, so R&R or this turns into a one shot!!!  
ja ne!  
[larachan]


	2. chapter 2

Hey minna~! Thanks for all the kind reviews! My reviewers R0XXER so much!!! I really appreciate the support! And again, if you want chapter 3, reviews [or flames] are necessary!  
  


Passionate Angel YOU RULE! Thanks so much for reviewing my YYH stuff, it makes me soo happy! It means more than you'll ever know ::huggles you::

Cricket-chan Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it and I hope you like chapter 2!!

Gatesu Botan Glad to hear it! Hope you like this chapter as well as the last one ^___^

TR Much thanks! Hope you're sticking around to read this latest installment.

DeityofRoses Thankies! Hope this chapter is interesting enough for ya! ^_~  
  


Kitsune16 Your wish is my command!!  
  


Desanera Thanks for the support and I'm glad you like chapter one! Hope chapter 2 lives up to your expectations!!  
  


Botan and Kurama lover heheh, thanks so very much!! Hope this chapter is juicy enough for ya! ^__^

Kuramas Kitsune Thanks for the nice review! I would love to read your fic, and have every intention of doing so, as soon as things quiet down around here. Thanks again! ^_^  
  


JDfielding Thankies!! I'm glad you liked it, and while I don't know how much _sense_ this chapter makes either, I'll continue on…. For a little while. Thanks for the review! ^__^

..:: A Few Moments Later at the Ramen Shop::..  
  
   "Umm…*cough cough* Kuwabara, you're squishing me… and would you mind *ouch* not stroking me like an animal?!" Botan tried to wiggle out from Kuwabara's more than loving grip. He held her a couple feet in the air and had her in a huge bear hug grip. Yusuke watched the two of them and laughed incessantly while Kurama tried to pry Kuwabara loose from poor Botan's delicate form.   
  


   "Oh Botan, I've missed you so, so so, so, so-"  
  


   "I feel a little….constricted…umm….someone….HELP ME!"  
  


   "So, so, so, so, so, so much!" Kuwabara buried his head in her sweet smelling hair.  
  


   "You big oaf… I hope you don't hug your stupid cat like that. Otherwise, it'd be dead by now." Hiei stood in the corner of the shop, the shadows casting a depressing glow over his features.  
  


   "WHAT did you say, shrimp!" Kuwabara dropped Botan altogether causing her to fall backwards and downwards. Kurama reached out and grabbed her just before she hit the linoleum floor. She turned her face up towards him and gasped at how near to her he was.   
  


   "I called your cat stupid. It is a dumb _animal_ after all." Hiei said frankly.  
  


   "WHAT?"  
   

   "Are you that deaf, you imbecile?"  


    "Why you, why don't you come over here and fight me like a man, you stupid i-…hey, Hiei! I'm talking to you! What are you staring at?!" Hiei's eyes were widened and he looked a bit blue, as if he were suddenly very sick. He raised one finger and pointed behind Kuwabara who slowly turned around.  


    "Uhh…you guys?" Kuwabara questioned. Kurama was still holding Botan only a couple of inches from the floor. They were staring deeply at each other. Kurama was smiling and Botan's face was drawn back in what appeared to be a gasp. All of the gang was gathered around them, blatantly staring. At the sound of Kuwabara's voice, Kurama shook his head vigorously and hoisted Botan back up to her feet.  


    "Are you alright, Botan-San?" He painted an indecipherable, empty smile over his features. As he did this, her features fell as if in disappointment.   


    "Yes…. Thank you, Kurama-Kun." She placed herself back down in a booth right next to Keiko. 

   The rest of the afternoon was lighthearted and uneventful enough. The friends all sat around the Ramen shop and talked about random things: school, hobbies, and things that didn't concern Botan at all. She spent most of the afternoon staring out the ramen shop window. If only she had turned around, she would have realized that Kurama was spending most of _his _afternoon staring at _her_. 

   Before the friends knew it, the afternoon had evaded them. The sun set in the sky around 8:00, and as soon as it did, Kuwabara rose out of the booth.

   "I hate to be the first one to leave, but it _is_ getting pretty late. I gotta start heading home." He was received with agreement from all of his peers around him. Within a couple of minutes, the group had disbanded.

   "C'mon Keiko, I'll walk you home." Yusuke took off his jacket and laid it over her shoulders, trying to keep the spring chill and damp off of her. She smiled sheepishly. 

   "Okay…" If it hadn't been dark, the others would have noticed the red tint working its way onto her cheeks. "Botan, how many days are you here for?"

   "Four." Botan smiled, her perfect white teeth gleaming in the twilight air. The rain had finally stopped, but it had left a considerable drop in temperature behind. She hugged her body to stop from shivering.

   "Good, guess I'll see you around then?"

   "I suppose!" She giggled. "Around." 

   "Promise?" Keiko jested cutely.

   "Mmmhmm, promise!" And with that, the Reikai tantei and company disbanded for the night. Keiko and Yusuke went off towards the left, Kuwabara following some distance behind. Kurama had gone to the right, and who knows where Hiei went? Probably up, to the nearest tree.

   So that left Botan all alone on the sidewalk with a feeling of… was it…. Yes, a feeling as if she didn't really belong.

   Botan yawned and began walking in the direction of the park where she had seen Kurama earlier that day. It was a quiet spring night, and she had much to think about. When she arrived she was the only one there, so she took a seat on one of the benches and tilted her head up to the stars. 

   'They aren't half as pretty at home.' She thought. A sigh escaped her throat. 'Home. That's where I need to be, something has changed here and I…I really don't like it anymore.' She stood up forcefully from the bench and raised her hand high into the air. In a few seconds, a long wooden oar appeared from the sky and drifted down towards her. With the experience of someone who has done the same action millions of times before, she mounted and the oar lifted several inches off of the ground.

   "Well, back to spirit world!" she said aloud, tilting the oar up so that it rose some more. Suddenly, her sensitive ears picked up a rustling in the bushes behind her.

   "It's not very polite to break promises, Botan-san." A gentle voice chuckled. Botan turned her body while still situated high above the ground.

   "Who's there?" in the mounting darkness, it was quite hard to see. She strained her eyes harder, leaning out over the ground, and abruptly…

   Lost her balance. She was about two stories up and knew the impact would hurt fiercely. She tried to brace her body, shut her eyes tightly, and gritted her teeth…tried not to scream, that would just make it worse. The ground would come any second now.

   Any second now…

   Any second?

   "What?" she whispered and opened her eyes a bit, only to notice that she had landed softly in a pair of strong arms. She was too busy anticipating the impact to feel the pressure on her back. Looking up, Botan sighed relief when she caught sight of the calm green eyes staring down at her.

   Kurama put her down on the ground lightly and Botan began tucking loose strands of blue hair back behind her ear. "Thanks, Kurama. That could have been really, really bad."

   His eyes laughed. "Where were you going?"

   "Umm… back home."

   "Why, Botan? I thought you had four days…"

   "I do, I just…" Botan stopped short.

   "…You just?"

   "I just feel like I'm not exactly welcome anymore. I know I've been gone a long time, and… I feel like maybe you all have grown closer without me… like I'm less of a friend because I wasn't there to experience things with you guys. I mean, everybody was talking…kind of amongst themselves, like I wasn't even there. And I realized, maybe, I overestimated my importance in your all's lives." She tried to smile, tried to keep from tearing up.

   "I…I'm not sure what you're talking about."

   "I just sense a feeling of, of…" 

   Kurama cut her off. "Botan, I want you to stay. And I don't want you to feel like you don't belong, okay? That's ridiculous." He grabbed her hands in his and probed her eyes for traces of shyness. "Okay?"

   "Hmmmm."

   "Where are you staying? I'll walk you there." Kurama squeezed her hand a bit tighter.

   "Um, well… that's part of the problem. I, I really don't have anywhere to stay. I mean, Keiko's parents are out of town, so she can't have people spend the night… Yusuke would rather die than have me at his house… I would rather die than ask Hiei for a favor, and sleeping in a tree can't be terribly comfortable… Kuwabara, well, I like all my limbs where they are, thank you." She called for her oar again. "So you see, I really don't have an alternative except to go home! Toodles, Kurama!" she tried to mount again, but Kurama just held onto her hands and wouldn't let her go. 

   "Botan-san, I'm a little hurt." He smiled as he said it.

   "Wha- why?"

   "You didn't even think of me!"

   "I- I did! C'mon Kurama! I'm here over your spring break, and Kami-sama knows with the size of _your _fan club you've probably got millions of dates!" she laughed and turned her head to the side. "The last thing I wanna do is keep you from your friends or burden you…"

   Kurama brought his hand up to her cheek and turned it back towards his. "You're a silly ferry girl…" he shook his head and smiled. "Dates? You could be a comedian. And furthermore, Botan, you have _never _kept me from _anything!_" privately, he added in his own mind, 'Mostly attributed to the fact that you are _everything._' Then, he continued speaking. "Botan, we have a spare room. Why don't you just come with me?"

   "But your parents-"

   "-can't stop talking about 'what a dear' you are from your last visit."

   "A- Are you sure?"

   "As I said, silly ferry girl…" He offered his arm to her and she took it gingerly. It was strange how it fit perfectly. "You're shaking." He whispered. "Are you cold?"

   "…A little."

   Kurama smiled and gracefully took his school jacket off, laying it delicately on Botan's shoulders. "Better?" he asked.

   "Much… Thank you." She couldn't help but sigh at the beautiful smell of roses that hung heavily on the jacket.

   They walked the rest of the way in blissful silence.

*awwwwwww*  
they're so cute together!!  
Well, I hate to break it to ya, but if you're expecting K&B to get together in chappie 3, I'm planning something horribly evil….

wanna see what it is?

REVIEW!! Pweeeese? Otherwise, the proverbial buck stops here.

As always, flames and reviews alike are quite welcome!!  
tillnextime

[larachan]


	3. Chapter 3

Hey minna! looks at update date  
blushes furiously…

Er….. lara-chan is very, very, very, sorry about the long wait, but she promises to do better next time, ne?

And now, a word to my lovely reviews who rock my BEiNG!  
Cricket-chan : Hehe, my feelings exactly, friend! Hope you like this chapter too!!  
Botan and Kurama Lover : Glad you liked the fluff! For me, its what makes writing worth it! I just LOVE the fluffy stuff prob. Explains why all my stories are chocked full of it thankies for the nice review!! And thankies for making me update!!  
JDfielding : WOW! Thank you! I feel so special, high praise!! Hehe, I'm glad you liked the Kuwabara bit, I thought it was a very 'him' thing to do. Hope you stick around for the next chappie!  
Stratus5: hehe, your wish is my command…better late than never, ne?

PinkFlamingo22 : Thankies dear! Sorry the update took so long, it won't be such a long time next time, I promise!!

Deity of Roses : Arigatou!! I'm glad you found it cute and sweet, I love writing fluff, hehe. Hope you'll stick around for chappie 3!!  
Rossi: Hehe, no problem. Here's the next chapter for ya!  
kitsune16 :awww, I'm glad you liked it so much! Hopefully this chapter will meet your expectations too!! thankies for the review!!  
 PaChElBeL : Aww, thankies! I'm glad you liked the fluffiness of it all! Hope you like this chapter too!  
Gatesu Botan : I'm sooo sorry about the update dates being so far apart! forgive me?? I PROMISE that I'll try to make this one closer together!! Thanks for the support!  
Desanera : AWW! Thanks so muchly! I'm happy that you're still enjoying it and hope that chappie three lives up to the chapters before it!!  
Passionate Angel : ANNOUNCEMENT! Hehe, just for you, and just because you miss it, I've decided to do another chapter of my Combatants story and post it Tuesday. Do you feel special?? Hehe, thanks always for the continued support, Angel-chan!!  
Eun-Jung : Why, thankies! Hope this chapter is as fun to read as it was to write!!  
FuzzieEars67 : hehe, your wish is my command!! I hope this chapter was well worth the wait!!  
Thornspike : Today, actually! Hehe, hope you enjoy it!!  
Anonymous: eh, no reason to do that! I'm updating now!!

And ON WITH THE STORY!!

   It was a little shy of nine by the time that Kurama and Botan reached the Minamoto household, but every light in the house seemed to be on. Kurama lead Botan to the front stoop and released her arm while he struggled with his house key to open the front door. Finally, it clicked and was unlocked. He was just about to push the wooden door all the way open when Botan placed a hand on his outstretched forearm.

   "You're sure it's alright?" She stared up at him expectantly.

   Right then, Kurama had the strangest desire to bend down and kiss Botan on her forehead. She looked so cute, standing there in his jacket with the hair falling out around her face. Her pink eyes were turned up towards his, searching for acceptance and reassurance. However, he refrained from reaching out to her, afraid he would startle her.

   "Yes, I'm sure." And with that, he led her inside, locking the door behind him. "Mother!" He half yelled. "Guess who I brought home?"

   Mrs. Minamoto stuck her head out of the upstairs bathroom and walked over to the landing that was above the main entranceway. "Who?" she was looking down and not paying a lot of attention to what was going on.

   "Look."

   "Botan-chan!" She smiled as she briskly walked over to the stairs and hurried down them. Botan found herself embraced in a warm hug, the smell of Chanel perfume wafting into her nostrils.

   "Mrs. Minamoto, it's nice to see you!" she said warmly.

   "She's here on vacation for four days. I found her wandering around the park, she has nowhere to stay, mother."

   Mrs. Minamoto frowned. "Well, that's awfully ridiculous of you, Shuuichi. You know she can stay here." Kurama smiled and Botan looked a bit shocked. "Now, dear," Mrs. Minamoto began talking again. "The guest room is off of the den towards the right. You just make yourself at home for as long as you need to." the older woman smiled like a perfect mother on a television program.

   "I- Thank you, Mrs. Minamoto." Botan had never been treated with such kindness in all her life. Then again, few people do show the harbinger of death much kindness… Usually when Botan was invited into a house, lots of yelling, crying, and maybe a court case often accompanied her.

   "I'll show you the guest room." Kurama began walking in the direction of the den, when suddenly, something ran down the stairs and came flying in the direction of Botan.

   "BOOOOOTAN!" it screamed as it flew into Botan's outstretched arms.

   "Mizuki!" Botan squealed with delight as she brushed back the soft raven hair of the little girl, Kurama's four year old step sister. She was wearing her Winnie the Pooh pajamas with footies and she smiled brightly at the ferry girl in front of her. Mizuki clasped her hands around Botan's neck and gave her a slobbery kiss on the cheek.

   "Botan-chan, I've missed you! You've been away so long!"

   "I know, Mi-chan… I've missed you too." The little girl made Botan feel perfect about the world around her.

   "Now, Mizuki, it's time for all good little girls to be in bed. You can see Botan-chan in the morning, okay?" Mrs. Minamoto pried the little girl off of Botan and placed her down on the floor.

   "Aww, mom, do I hafta?"

   "Have to, Mizuki." Interjected Kurama, the King of Correct Grammar Usage.

   Mizuki pouted and ignored her older brother. "Well, if you're gonna make me go to bed, can Botan-chan at least tell me a story or somethin?"

   Mrs. Minamoto gave a pleading glance to Botan, the glance of a mother who is _thoroughly _exhausted after dealing with a four-year-old for fourteen hours straight.

   "Of course!" Botan's face lit up as she grabbed the little girl's hands. "I'd love to!" Mizuki began pulling her up the stairs. "C'mon, K- uh, Shuuichi!"

   Kurama let out a sigh, but at his mother's chiding, trekked upstairs towards his step-sister's room. By the time he reached it, Botan had already turned off all the lights and was sitting in a rocking chair with Mizuki in her lap.

   Kurama closed the door behind him and flicked on Mizuki's   small Tigger night light. Then, he slid over behind the rocking chair, slowly rocking it back and forth with his hands.

   "All right, Mi-chan, what kind of story?" Botan asked.

   "Well, first ya hafta start with 'Once upon a time'."

   "Ahem, Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived the most beautiful, stunning, kind, and generous…. Kind and generous…"

   "Fairy!" Mizuki shouted. Botan blushed, 'ughh, so close to ferry girl,' she thought. Kurama merely chuckled.

   "And her name was…" Botan began again.

   "And her name was Botan." The voice had come from behind the rocking-chair, from a smiling kitsune. Botan felt a little flushed…and a little like she was going to faint at the mention of herself being beautiful and stunning.

   "Yeah, Botan! And she was controlled by a mean and evil king who made her work all the time!" Mizuki shouted, her face turned up towards the real, live ferry girl.

   "And his name was Koenma-Sama." Kurama was having entirely too much fun with this, Botan just laughed.

   Then, Mizuki took off on her own tangent. "Until one day, until one day, she met a handsome knight in the forest by the name of…"

   "By the name of Kurama." Botan finished, Kurama blushed this time. Mizuki turned her head to the side.

   "Sure is a funny name, isn't it, Shuuichi?" Mizuki asked.

   "Mmmhmm."

   Botan was finally getting the hang of this storytelling thing. All she had to do was tell what a normal day as a spirit detective was like. It was as simple as that. She had gone through half the dark tournament when Mizuki finally dropped off, but she kept talking melodically until she was sure the little girl was asleep.

   "I think she's gone." Whispered Kurama. Botan nodded. Slowly, she stood up from the rocking chair and cradled the girl in her arms. Kurama pulled down the comforter on her bed and Botan laid her down between the soft sheets. Then, the two of them tucked her in.

   It struck Botan that she and Kurama were acting just like…just like a couple.

   They stood over the child's bed, Kurama standing behind Botan with his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. The comforter rose and fell with each breath and it made Botan smile. When they were sure the little girl wouldn't awaken, the two left. Since it was only around 10 o'clock and they weren't at all tired, the pair retreated to Kurama's room.

   The smell of roses was so beautifully refreshing in Kurama's bedroom, it evoked senses that Botan didn't know she had. She fell back on his bed, on his soft comforter and snuggled into a warm ball.

   "Mind if I do some schoolwork?" Kurama said as he turned on his computer.

   "Nope."

   A few seconds of silence enveloped the two, then Botan spoke. "Why do you trust me with her?"

   "What?" Kurama turned around in his swivel chair to face Botan. He set his feet on the bed and leaned back.

   "Kurama, I'm a messenger of death. Why do you trust me with your little sister? She's too, too precious. I mean, how can you allow me to touch her knowing that one day…" Botan's words trailed off, it was just too horrible to say.

   "…Botan. That's your job." He stood up and plopped down on the bed beside her, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. "You are what you are and I respect and like you for that."

   She turned over towards him, tears flecking her eyes. "R- really?" He nodded and she turned back on her other side.

   "Besides, Botan, she loves you. After your last visit, she begged for weeks to be able to dye her hair blue like yours."

   Botan gave a snort in reply. "Hn. She can have it. I hate it."

   "What?" Kurama questioned in a shocked tone.

   "It makes me different, Kurama. It makes me strange here in the human world and sets me apart from you all even more than I already am. If I was normal, I-"

   Kurama cut her off. "You can't speculate about that, trust me. I spent half my life wondering what exactly it would be like to be normal. And eventually, you have to reach a point where you are happy with yourself or you'll just drive yourself crazy." He let out a long sigh and Botan's shoulders shuddered as if she was softly crying.

   "And Botan?"

   "Hmm?" She muffled a yes.

   "I love your hair…okay? It's perfect."

   Botan inhaled sharply and turned around to face him. Tears had made stains on her cheeks. Kurama raised his hand and whisked them away, then brushed the stray hairs out of her face.

   "Perfect." He repeated again.

   "T..t..thank you." She finally managed to stutter, as touched as she was. Botan turned back over again and silence once again befell the two. A few minutes later, Kurama spoke again.

   "Botan?" He waited for an answer, but received none. He kept on talking anyway. "Botan, I think I'm falling in love with you."

   She didn't move. He raised up to see what was the matter and peered over at her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was light, yet he knew she was in a very deep, relaxing sleep. He smiled.

   Kurama grabbed a pillow from the near the headboard and placed it under Botan's head. He then pulled the comforter around her and tucked her in nice and snug. Standing over her, he bent his head near hers, his lips almost touching hers, and then decided against it.

   "Goodnight, beautiful fairy." Kurama said quietly as he shut off the lights and closed the door of his room behind him. He would sleep in the guest room tonight.

   She waited a good five minutes and then gingerly opened one of her eyes. Crossing the room as quietly as a shadow, Botan opened a window that was behind Kurama's computer and peered out into the night air.

   "Hello?" her voice was just above a whisper.

   "You're quite an actress." A voice replied, a voice that was everywhere and nowhere at once. It's razor edged sharpness made Botan shiver. "If that was acting."

   "Oh, it was acting alright."  

   "Good, I would hate to see you fall in love over this." The voice said the word 'love' with considerable bite.

   Botan chuckled. "I thought we already had this discussion, an ice queen such as myself doesn't fall in love so easily."

   "See to it that you don't, otherwise…"

   Botan raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise what?"

   "Otherwise, I might just have to break off our little deal."

   "You leave Koenma-sama alone! Lay one finger on him and the whole deal is off!"

   "So you mean to say that if… Oh, I don't know… the big blue ogre suddenly found himself pointing a long, sharp, serrated sword into Koenma-_sama's_ back, you-"

   "Don't you dare!"

   "-d be angry?"

   "I told you," Botan's voice was a harsh whisper now. "I told you I'd help you! I told you I'd lure Youko Kurama into your little trap for you if you left Koenma-Sama alone. You _need_ me, so don't act like you don't!"

   "I don't need you, Botan. You overestimate your importance." The voice was getting closer and closer to the windowsill. "You are simply the woman that Youko takes a liking to now. In six months it may be someone else entirely. All I need is for Youko to confess his love to someone and that someone allow me to 'capture' them so I can lure Youko to my lair."

   "And then you'll kill him."

   "That's none of your concern. You're concerned about, 'Koenma-sama', remember?"

   A frustrated sigh escaped from Botan's lips. "Kuronue, I swear, touch my boss and I'll-"

   "You'll what, beat me with your oar? You are in no position to bargain, my dear ferry girl. One little slip up from you and the ogre lets your 'boss' have it."

   "Why are you torturing me like this?" Botan cried. "I've given you every shred of decency I had as a credible person, I'm betraying my friends, isn't that enough to prove my allegiance to you?"

   "I'm simply reminding you, Ice Queen. We could have had him tonight. He was on the verge of confessing his love to you and I could have 'captured' you in the morning. He would have been dead by nightfall. So Ice Queen," Kuronue's voice was rigid now. "You tell me, WHY did you pretend to fall asleep? Was it because you're beginning to have FEELINGS for this man?"

   Botan jumped back from the window. "No…. But if he confesses on the first day, then it's not much of a test for me, now is it?"

   "This is my game, not yours."

   "And how do you know your little game is going to follow the rules you've laid out for it?"

   "I knew Kurama would be in the park, didn't I? I knew he would stop you when you tried to fly away, didn't I? I told you exactly what to say to him to gain admittance into his home, didn't I? This 'Kurama' is still Youko, and I know Youko better than Youko knows himself."

   The tension was thicker than the air. It weighed heavily on Botan.

   "Don't defy me again." Kuronue's long finger came in through the window and began caressing Botan's cheek. She tried to shut the widow on it, but it moved too quickly. Hurriedly, she locked the window and flew onto Kurama's bed, covering her head with the comforter. "I hate him." She whispered.

   But she knew it was not Kuronue she hated. It was herself. When Kuronue arrived to talk to her the first time, and to threaten Koenma's life, she said she would give him whatever he wanted. Back then, she was sure she loved Koenma-sama with all her heart. But now, just a few hours and Kurama had played the harp of herself with such grace and mastery as if he owned it. Had she done something horrible and made the wrong choice? Had she condemned to death the one she loved and saved the one who merely looked appealing at first glance? She couldn't bear to think of it. Shutting her eyes, she recalled again the feeling of Kurama's hand upon her cheek and cried.

   He had made her love her hair…solely for the purpose that he loved it also. The pillow muffled her tears all night long.

   Outside in a near tree, Kuronue was watching. "The fox knows too much. He must die by the hounds. Why did you have to resurface, Youko? If you would've stayed put, you could have gone on living as you were. But I have to think of myself first. A man should have to fake his own death only once."

Well, Minna? Liked it? Hated it? TELL ME! Reviews [and flames] are both greatly appreciated!! Thankies for the time!  
larachan


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